I was planning to write some today about the things I saw and learned on the SHOT Show floor, but they just really weren’t all that interesting. Instead, I had a really great conversation with blogger and outdoor writer, Galen Geer. It is not for no reason that his blog is entitled “The Thinking Hunter”.
I’ve been reading Galen’s blog, as well as his responses to other bloggers like Holly (NorCal Cazadora) for some time now, and I’ve always been impressed with the feeling that this guy isn’t your typical hunting writer. Spending an hour or so talking to him proved it… he’s absolutely not typical at all.
I happened to catch him discussing the lead in venison issue with a fellow from the QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association), and when I got a chance I introduced myself and joined the conversation. Galen was particularly distressed by the press releases the NRA put out following the North Dakota and CDC blood tests (700 individuals tested for blood-borne lead to see if eating venison caused an increased level).
I guess I’m not the only one who has been trying to figure out if the NRA read the same reports that I did, when their press release basically said there was absolutely nothing to worry about. What I read indicated that yeah, there might be something worth taking note of. No need for panic, but the results DID indicate that the people who ate venison had more lead in their systems. Maybe we need to take a little extra care, particularly if we’re feeding expectant and nursing mothers or very young children.
As anyone who’s been reading this blog knows, my own opinion of the studies and surrounding furor has been a little ambivalent. On the one hand, I am cautiously skeptical of the way the anti-lead folks are pushing their agenda. Are they zealous but well-meaning, or is this really (as many hunters believe) an anti-hunting/anti-gun initiative behind it? I tend to lean toward the former, but the other possibility is not inconceivable. The anti-gun factions in particular have been pretty good at finding backdoor approaches to gun control.
And, on the other hand, I’ve always been skeptical of NRA propaganda which plays on fear to mobilize the lowest common denominator. I’m a Life Member of the NRA, and support the over-arching mission, but I sure get disgusted at some of the tactics that these folks come up with. Their credibility is dangling on the edge, even within the hunting community. If they lose that credibility completely, they’ll become nothing more than a right-wing version of PETA… show ponies whose only effects will be to irritate the public.
As a result, I’m left in the middle to make up my own mind, which is what we should all be doing anyway. The information is available to anyone who wants to read it, and I would encourage every hunter to do so. Look at the facts, and then decide whether you want to modify your own behavior in response.
My conversation with Mr. Geer helped me to crystallize a little bit of my position… at least for now.
The risk from lead in venison is nominal. The evidence is still coming in, and there could be a surprise, but from the CDC study and anecdotal information (the fact that there hasn’t ever been a case of illness or death due to the use of lead ammunition), there’s just not much to worry about. That’s kind of been my position all along… but now I think I agree with Geer that there is a caveat. The very slight risk to developing children, particularly in utero, IS worth a little extra care.
It doesn’t necessarily justify eliminating lead ammo, although that is an educated choice that hunters could make. But it does justify being careful when butchering and processing meat. Trim carefully, and maybe don’t serve ground meat that may contain lead fragments to pregnant women, nursing mothers, or very young children. It’s probably fine for everyone else. I don’t think that’s really unreasonable, although of course I think every hunter should be able to make his or her own decisions here.
I’d love to see the NRA and other hunting and gun rights organizations take a positive and pro-active approach to this issue, instead of simply lambasting it. Why not take the opportunity to provide some objective education to hunters, and help them to be just a little safer? Isn’t one of the purported goals of the organization to enhance and promote safety and education?
Anyway, it was really helpful to sit and chat with someone like Geer who has deep ties into the hunting industry and media, but who is also willing to challenge the status quo with the harsh light of reason and logic.
I promise I’ll have more product reviews and pictures and fun stuff after I conclude this last day of the show, but thought it was worth this little interlude to let ya’ll know that there’s more going on at this event than a bunch of people drooling over new toys and booth babes.
That’s a great summary of the issue. I was a little perplexed by the NRA press release myself…like, “wow, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little bit.”
My opinion of the NRA is that unless sweeping gun control proposals do come through in the next 4 years, they’re going to have to figure out “what they want to be when they grow up.” Decades and decades of fear-mongering to hunters and gun owners, and all we’ve perceivably lost are large capacity clips, full auto rifles, and armor-piercing rounds.
What happened to the “gun owners apocalypse” that was predicted prior to the Carter, Clinton, and now Obama administration, when the Rainbow Gestapo is going to show up at all of our doors and melt down our sporting arms on the spot?
The NRA can – and needs – to have a seat at the table with liberals of all stripes and colors during these legislative discussions. But “shots from the hip” like this, plus their stance on conservation, are not helpful to their cause or OUR cause. You’re right Philip – they are becoming easily dismissable by the public at large….and our new liberal minority.